A Journey in Redemption
by blackgem88
Summary: "The fire engulfed us. It had been a non-stop inferno for as long as I could remember; but now, we were trapped." After a traumatic experience Bella picks up the pieces of her broken life the only way she knows how. Can she find love amidst the rubble?


**Disclaimer: I own nothing... Everything belongs to SM. This story is inspired by the movie Trial by Fire but I will change the plot to suit my needs.**

**A/N: This is the rewrite of a story I wrote almost two years ago but then abandoned. I realized that I just couldn't write cannon couples because I just couldn't see it that way. So, I gave up on it. But, today, after talking with javamomma0921, I decided it was best to delete the old story and repost it the way it should have been. And this is it. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

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**Bella POV**

One more floor left to clear. That was my mantra; focus was key. We had just gotten word that there might be someone in the last apartment on the left. That was enough. We had ten minutes before the captain called us back. Ten minutes to reach the apartment, extract the victim, and get out. It was more than enough. We climbed the rickety flight of stairs as fast as our gear would allow us until we reached the second floor; we opened the door to the apartments within and rushed inside. Six minutes to reach the apartment and remove the victim. It had been decided, Anthony would enter last. I would take the back of the apartment and he would take the front. We searched and searched. Nothing. There was no one here. We searched the immediate area and still nothing. We had to get out; there was no one here. As we walked back out and made our way towards the stairs, the ceiling ahead of us collapsed. We had to find a way around; we had to fight. The fire engulfed us. It had been a non-stop inferno for as long as I could remember; but now, we were trapped. I kept moving forward, we had to make it out alive. I wasn't done yet; there were still fires left to fight. I could feel the floor beneath me; it was going to give out soon. Anthony told me to keep moving, to not look back; I had to trust him. He was the superior officer. Still, I thought we were dead. Would they reach us in time?

The floor beneath me gave one more pitiful squeak but it held on. _Thank God_. We kept moving forward, praying we would make it out alive when we were surprised by yet another section of ceiling raining down upon us. I fell and landed with a thud, debris pinning me to the floor. I could not get up. _Shit. How in the hell was I supposed to get out now? _I called out to Anthony, hoping he was okay.

"Tony? Are you there? Yell if you can hear me?" I pleaded, to no particular god in my head, that Tony was okay. I was a rookie and he had taken me under his wing, the only one to even acknowledge my presence. He was a damn good firefighter and we had formed a strong bond. He was like a brother to me.

"Bella, you okay? I'm alive, hurt but alive. I don't think I have major damage. I think I know where you are. Stay still." His voiced sounded strained as well as pained. There was definitely something wrong. He sounded like he could barely breathe and his attitude seemed forced. I couldn't zero in on it though because the fire continued to burn. Everything was going black and I knew I could not keep the darkness at bay for much longer.

I heard shouting from somewhere nearby and all I could think of was that my final moments on Earth would be spent listening to baboons holler at each other. I guess that was a measure of my sanity because everything started spinning and my world went black.

* * *

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

It was an incessant beeping. It just wouldn't stop. It had been going on now for twenty minutes and I was about to tear my head off because I couldn't take it anymore. _What in the hell was that beeping? _I opened my eyes and came face to face with the white walls of a sterile hospital room. There were machines all around me beeping away. _Guess that is where the beeping came from. _I couldn't remember a thing. Why was I in here? What in the hell had happened? Where in the hell was everybody?

I lay there pondering for a few good minutes before a nurse walked in. Her heavily starched nurse's uniform was plastered to her body, completely immobile. She was short about five feet tall and her dirty blond hair was frozen into a stern bun at the base of her neck. Her demeanor was cold and clinical as she approached me.

"Good evening Ms. Swan, my name is Marjorie and I will be your nurse for the duration of your stay. You have suffered from smoke inhalation, some minor burns to several areas of your body, and a mild concussion. We expect to keep you here for a couple of days. Do you have any questions?" The look of contempt on her face warned me that questions were not welcome.

"No. I'm fine thank you." I didn't even recognize my voice. It was hoarse and sounded rusty. Guess that smoke really did a number on me.

She left immediately after that and I was left alone with my thoughts once more. _Where was Tony? How was he? Was he in better shape than I was? Where were the rest of the guys?_ Not that I expected them to be here; I mean they all pretty much hated my guts. I was _persona non grata_ at that station.

I tried sleeping but it just wouldn't come. So, I decided to reminisce about my time at the station. I thanked Tony day in and day out for taking me under his wing. He was my knight in shining armor, my best friend, and the big brother I never had. I couldn't wait until they told me he was okay and waiting for me to come home so he could hassle me about anything and everything. I let the memories come to me as I lay there in the uncomfortable hospital bed, waiting for news.

_It was my first day. Shit! What in the hell had I gotten myself into? I hadn't even been here two hours and already everyone hated me. In Its long and proud history, this ladder had never once had a female firefighter, so I was nothing but a joke to these guys. They all thought I was here to fill some type of gender quota to be politically correct. In the last two hours, I had been introduced to my fellow firefighters and had gotten some not so nice insults thrown at me._

"_Damn it! What kind of shit did we do to deserve this? Who did we piss off in a past life to get her dumped on us? "He paused while the rest of them mumbled to each other._

"_I mean seriously, how can we trust her to have our back out there when she is smaller than most of us. Women were not meant to be firefighters. They just don't have what it takes to cut it. I bet they only let her in here 'cause her old man is good friends with the chief." _

_There they all were huddling around that big baboon Jacob Blackstone as if he was a god or something. Hell, they looked like a bunch of gossiping women talking about me, behind my back like that. So, I decided it was time to make myself known._

"_Women were meant to stay at home while the men fight the fires. I give her two weeks, she won't last more than that. In fact, I've got a Benjamin here that says she'll crack by the end of the week." I clenched my fists in response to their chauvinistic insinuations that I wasn't good enough. I would show them._

"_Ahem." I decided it was time to break up their little hen session. "If you have anything to say to me or about me you can say it to my face." I steeled myself for the ambush that was about to come. His stance screamed attack mode._

"_Ok fine. I think you're nothing more than a publicity stunt. A fire bitch so to speak. Someone to have around to look pretty and do nothing. I won't have you endangering the lives of my men." Jacob was seething in anger._

"_Screw you, asshole. You know nothing about me and you're nothing more than an insecure chauvinist. I have worked my ass off to get where I am and I won't have some unevolved primate tell me otherwise." If he wanted a fight, then damn right he was going to get one._

"_What the hell did you call me, bitch?" He looked like he was about to lunge at me, his six feet six inch frame vibrating with anger._

"_You heard me." The shit hit the fan at that moment; Jacob lunged at me. But, some guy pulled him back._

"_Back off Black!" The guy ordered. He was older, maybe mid thirties and was almost as tall as Jacob. Dark blue-black hair adorned his round shaped face. His smoldering black eyes burned with contempt._

"_What's your problem Tony; she started it." Jacob was just aching for a fight; I don't think it mattered if it was with me or anyone else. He was just pissed off. I was here and he wanted to unleash his frustrations on anything at this point._

"_Cut the bullshit, Jake. She's here to stay so you might as well get used to it. If you want to keep your job I suggest you keep that trap of yours shut." Tony had a strong commanding voice, and that was enough, I guess, for Jake to back off._

_After that day, Tony and I were inseparable at the station. We would cook together on our down time and watch football on the big screen television. He was like the big brother I never had. He made damn sure the guys cut their crap and, more importantly, he gave me a shot to earn his respect. Our first major fire together really cemented our relationship._

_It was a blaze- there was no doubt about it. A house fire gone terribly wrong when a nearby gas tank exploded. It was horrible and there were people trapped inside. We were set to go inside in teams of two but no one would go in with me. They all refused to enter the house if it meant that I was the one watching their back._

"_No way, captain! I'm not going in there with her. I'm not risking my life with this rookie. Send someone else in there with me and I'm game." Of course, Jake would be the first to object. He always was. I was so mad._

"_I'll go in there with her, cap. I trust her." Tony spoke up before the captain or I could tell Jake off. Now was not the time. Always the peacemaker my Tony was._

_We went in together and we came out together. We brought two little boys with us that night just before the house collapsed. It was the greatest day of my life. Not only because we saved that family but because I knew that Tony would always have my back, no matter what. He trusted me and I had earned his respect and confidence. I had proven myself. I was damn good fighter and now he truly knew it. Now they all knew it. They could no longer doubt my abilities as a member of this team. _

_After that day the boys, for they couldn't be considered men, stopped hassling me as much. I got the occasional sexist joke and prank here and there but it was no longer as mean spirited as it usually was. I even thought that with time, they might see me as their equal and I owed it all to Tony. He gave me my first shot._

Memories swirled in and out of my head as the night progressed. The first time I met Tony's family – his mother and father, his sister, and his girlfriend. They were good people and they all welcomed me with open arms. They became like a second family to me. I remembered the first time Tony and I went repelling – he felt it would be good to me to get away from it all after a particularly rough week with the evolutionary stunted men I spent my work shifts with. I was so angry but Tony just told me to brush it off, turn the other way, and show them their antic couldn't bring me down. We spent the weekend repelling down cliffs and laughing over every little thing.

I couldn't wait until he came in to see me. The sun was starting to rise, and it wouldn't be too much longer until he came in to yell at me for not being more careful. So, I figured I would take a nap before I saw him.

* * *

"Hey kiddo. How are you doing?" I was jolted awake by the gentle prodding of my father. His whiskey brown eyes bore into mine. He looked sad.

"I'm fine dad. Why the long face?" I started to worry. My dad might be stoic but he always had an underlying joy to him that was missing now.

"Honey, I need to tell you something... "Charlie paused, his mouth a tight line. It looked like he was debating whether to continue or just stop right there. A hauntingly sad look graced his features; he looked as if he were carrying a great burden.

"What is it dad?"

"You see Tony, well… he didn't make it out hon. They tried to reach him in time but he was pinned pretty badly. A jagged piece of wood pierced his chest and they couldn't save him. I'm so sorry honey. I really am. I know how much he meant to you." His voice was strained, his expression soft.

_No! Tony couldn't be dead! The man was invincible. He just couldn't be dead. He was fine. I talked to him – I talked to him after we fell. He just had to be okay_. Everything around me started spinning. The darkness was threatening to overcome me again_. I_ _just couldn't take it; He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. Any moment now he was gonna walk through that door and yell at me. He had to come in and yell at me for not being more careful. He couldn't be gone. I would be lost without him._

The shadows continued to creep up on me, blurring the edges of my vision. Or maybe it was the tears that were doing that. I couldn't be sure at this point. I grabbed hold of my father and let him rock me just like he did when I was a little girl. The last thing I said before I let the jumbled chaos that had become my mind take its hold of me was, "Please Daddy, not Tony! Not Tony!"

**Thanks for Reading! I hope you enjoyed it and please Review! Reviewers get teasers. **

**P.S. A big thank you to SavageWoman for her awesome beta job on this and for being her awesome self. Another big thank you to Javamomma0921 for giving me the push I needed to do what was right with this story. If you get a chance check out their stories.**

**On a side note, my other stories are still being written. Chapter 14 and chapter 3 of my other two Bemett stories should be out this week.**


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